With $265 million in U.S. dairy product imports last year, Vietnam has quickly become one of the United States best dairy trading partners now ranking 12th among all ag importers.
We caught up with Renae De Jager of Chowchilla, Calif., and John Brubaker of Buhl, Idaho, who shared their firsthand observations in this video about the growing Vietnam dairy market. The pair of U.S. dairy farmers were members of a recent U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) trade mission to Southeast Asia.
Making Vietnam's growth even more impressive is the fact that until 20 years ago, the U.S. and Vietnam governments were not exactly on speaking terms. When the two governments restored normalized relations, Vietnam ranked 91st among all countries in trade. In 2007, when Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), it had climbed to 27th among all U.S. trading partners ranked on ag-related purchases. And just last year it reached 12th place.
How much upside is there in Vietnam?
Of the nation's 92 million people, 60 percent are under the age of 35. "The country's cheese imports have been rising at an average rate of 17 percent per year for the last eight years," said Angélique Hollister of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.
To watch the previous week's USDEC video by Washington's Kima Simonson and Pennsylvania's Harold Shaulis, follow this link.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
April 27, 2015
